Re-Evaluating the Utility of Punishment and Boko Haram Insurgency in Nigeria

From the origin of society, making of laws has always been the function of constituted authorities. In modern state, these laws are executed and backed up by punishment when they are broken by any members of the society or the state. Apparently, law and punishment is the instrument for maintaining law and order in the state or society especially when crimes are committed against the state, the individuals or members of the society; crimes like vandalism, terrorism or treason e.. The Nigerian society had witness a reign of terror, violation of the dignity of human life, loss of property, national insecurity as well as bloodshed, kidnap e.t.c, by Boko Haram insurgents. The civil society now relies on the government to implement the instrument of law and punishment in addressing the insurgency. However, these expectations leave the philosopher with a range of questions; are the insurgents aware of the law they violet and supporting punishment for such crime? What kind of punishment can commensurate the amount of harm done by Boko Haram Insurgency? What is the instrument for measuring punishment? No doubt, these impugns strongly on the value or utility of punishment. With the dialogic and critical analysis method, the researcher crystallises the problematic regarding degree of punishment, civil society's expectations and concludes with the affirmation that being rapid in response to civil needs and aspirations save better than this sporadic input of human life, time, resources and efforts to combating the Boko haram insurgency.